


Reptilian Romance

by ladykardasi



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: F/M, First Time, Het, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Porn With Plot, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 20:01:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladykardasi/pseuds/ladykardasi
Summary: Gul Dukat and Kira Nerys are on their way to a mission, But something goes wrong and they are caught in a Particle Storm which takes them lightyears off course. It will take them months to get back to the Wormhole and Deep Space Nine. That is when the Cardassian Gul has some gruelling news for Deep Space Nine's second in Command.





	Reptilian Romance

Golden O at ASCEM Bronze for Best DS9 singles 1999

The Gul, named Dukat, stood silently by the helmpanel, his Cardassian features strict with control. He was not about to show Kira, Ziyal or his crew, how he reacted to their position. This mission he promised to help Major Kira Nerys with, proved to be quite the adventure.... 

He, Major Kira, his half-Bajoran daughter Ziyal, and the rest of the crew on the Klingon Bird of Prey he and Kira had captured a while back were caught in a Particle Storm, and lost pretty far from either Cardassian or Federation space. It would take them nearly two months to get home even if they travelled at maximum warp all the way. A thousand lightyears had just swizzled by them a couple of hours ago and they were now caught a pretty long way from theWormhole. 

Major Kira was quite upset. She wasn't exactly reluctant to show her travelcompanions how she felt about the whole thing. Dukat did what he could not to smile at her. But it was hard. He really liked Major Kira although she would probably knock him out cold if she ever found out. He would - of course - never admit it, but he was a bit hurt by her attitude although he could understand her. He regretted many of the things he had done. 

But few as much as the occupation of Bajor, and alot of the things he had been forced to do as a Legate of the Cardassian military during that same occupation. Ziyal had told him about a conversation between her and Kira last time they met. Ziyal had told Kira how many of those things still really bothered him. Kira had stated that she really doubted he would have felt the same way if Cardassia had won. 

But he knew she was wrong. He knew Kira thought of the Cardassians as cruel, violent people that found no greater pleasure than playing mindgames. And Gul Dukat agreed that this was very true, but there was alot more to them than that. It was as if Kira had placed all her hatred towards the Cardassians onto him, which he didn't feel was justified. He had been one of the few trying to end the horrors the Cardassians had inflicted on Bajor. But then again - he would never tell Kira that. He was too proud to try and justify himself or his actions to her. But Ziyal had put her finger on the spot when she insightfully commented:

"You really wish that Major Kira would forgive you - that would make it easier for you to forgive yourself, wouldn't it, father?"

Ziyal had, during these months since he found her, gotten to know him pretty well. She knew more than anyone how he felt about the first officer of Deep Space Nine. He was envious of how well Major Kira and his daughter were getting along, and wished he could be part of their comfortable friendship. He suspected that Kira was as close to a mother figure Ziyal had come since her captivity on Dozaria, where her real Bajoran mother, Tora Naprem, died. He wasn't jealous of Ziyal about that though. He just wished Kira would let him become her friend as well. 

But she saw only the ridges on his head and the distinct Cardassian features in his face. She didn't want to like him, and the easiest way to avoid that was to not get to know him too well, so she kept her distance. Which of course made it even more fun for Dukat to try... 

And although he understood that Kira remembered how he was about to kill Ziyal when he first found her. That, on top of the hatred she already felt for him for simply being a Cardassian, justified her hatred. 

But he had become another person since then. He wished Kira would allow herself to see it. He knew they were more alike than she would ever care to admit. They really did make a great team even though Kira hated when he said that - and of course, she would never admit it although it was obvious to him. 

His love for Ziyal grew stronger every day. He was the only family she had. And not a single day passed without him silently thanking Kira for saving his daughter's life. He knew himself the way he used to be too well to fool himself. If it weren't for Kira, Ziyal wouldn't be alive today. 

"Dukat, I'm talking to you!"

Major Kira's voice pierced through his thoughts like a spear. He adjusted his features to the sardonic smile he knew she really detested - he couldn't help himself. Maybe it was a defense, but it was good fun too!

"And what can I do for you Major?"

* * *

Kira looked at Dukat and suppressed a strong desire to place her fist across his smiling Cardassian lizard-like face. She saw red. She could not comprehend how he really managed to press her buttons so easily. No one she knew could get her so off balance, so quickly and so easily as Dukat and she truly hated the feeling! 

"I asked you how long it would take for a subspace communication to reach DS9?"

"Two or three days, depending on where exactly we are" Dukat responded with a voice more concerned than the situation called for in Kira's mind. She frowned and looked curiously at him but he turned his back on her and kept touching the panels in front of him.

"Until now, all we have established is how far we've traveled, and in what direction. I am not exactly sure in what solar system we are"  
"Then let's find out!" Kira said decisively. She couldn't sit around just waiting for things to happen, no more than Dukat could. 

* * * 

He stretched himself trying to lose those unwelcome thoughts that had been occupying his mind for a couple of hours, and then followed Kira to the science station to more accurately find out where they had ended up when the Particle Storm dropped them off. About half an hour later they had established their whereabouts and they knew they were far away from any inhabited planets. There was an M-class planet just two light-years away and to get there wouldn't take more than an hour and a half. 

Dukat had decided that was where they should go at once. The Klingon Bird of Prey wasn't fueled for such a long flight and they had to refuel it somehow. They had scanned the surface of the planet and found out it was not inhabited by sentient life. There was flourishing wildlife though and they had also discovered a cave system that showed high concentrations of raw Dilithium crystals, hopefully they would be able to gather some of it to refuel their ship. 

They set course for the planet, Melkor 5, as the star-map suggested its name was, and Kira went off to find something to eat. Dukat decided to let Mekket take the bridge and went after her. She hadn't lived with Cardassians long enough to know some of their most - urgent - needs. He couldn't say he was looking forward to informing Kira about them, but he couldn't expect any of his younger officers to do it. Hell, he wouldn't *let* any of his officers talk to Major Kira about such things - besides, it was *his* problem... 

He started to feel uncomfortable as he walked through the lower decks of the ship and wondered how he would approach this delicate matter. It was nothing he wanted to do, but he knew he had no choice but to tell her in time. Or else the good Major might be in for a few unpleasant surprises. Dukat couldn't help but grin after all... 

He was less concerned about Ziyal, Ezett and Marza who were the other three females aboard his ship. They were all Cardassians and they knew what to expect...

Unfortunately they were all his close relatives - all three of them. Ezett was his half-sister, one of the few in his family who could see beyond the Bajoran ridges on Ziyal's nose, and Marza his family's "black sheep", the soft and warmhearted one, who refused to either join the military or the Obsidian order and who was - his cousin. All this could seem no problem for a non-Cardassian. But Dukat knew what problems would arise in only a week, if that. Fortunately he was the only one who was closely related to all three Cardassian females. Which only left Kira to mess it up for him... The fact that it didn't really matter if there had been a non-related Cardassian female was a thought he pushed away. He cursed his weakness for Bajoran females in general and for Major Kira in particular. 

He couldn't fool himself this time. This would be an ordeal. He hated to have to show his weakness to her this way, but there was no other solution. He had to tell her and he had to ask for her help, because he knew the Cardassian Urge too well to imagine he could suppress it for so long. This was the only flaw he could see in the Cardassian race. 

//Apart for our unfortunate intolerance of the cold// he added. 

Dukat had never planned for Kira to find out about the truth... If he could he definitely *would* keep the specifics away from her.

* * *

"Please run that by me again" said Kira a while later. They were in her quarters and he just explained the problem to her. Her face looked paler than his Cardassian, grayish skin. There was no anger in her voice - only shock, and what more, for the first time since he got to know her, helplessness. He hated to make her feel this way, but what could he do? It was as unstoppable for the Cardassians as the drive for all humanoids to eat when they were hungry. Like the Vulcans' Pon Farr even. 

Kira understood. She didn't like it, but she understood. All too well, and she felt trapped. And strangely enough for the first time in her life she felt what could be pity, or maybe even compassion, for Dukat. Deep inside she knew what it had taken for him to come to her and tell her this, knowing how completely *sick* it would make her. 

"I don't think I have to, Kira Nerys, you understood perfectly well the first time" Dukat said mildly.  
"But how the *hell* can you travel on a ship with only females that you are related to when you fully well know the Cardassian physiology?" 

Kira's voice mirrored all the anger, fear and disgust she felt at what Gul Dukat had just explained to her.

"Normally we are never out longer than a couple of days, a week at the most, in a row, Nerys. You know that!" Dukat started pacing back and forth in her quarters. It was so annoying Kira felt like kicking and screaming. Dukat continued:

"The Urge doesn't come that *quickly*! Our mission to that remote Cardassian moon was supposed to take about five days which is no problem at all!" Dukat sounded just as frustrated as she felt. 

"I am still Major Kira to you Dukat, and don't you expect me to..." Kira's voice fell silent as she began calculating their situation. Fear grew in the pit of her stomach. 

//We have already been out here for six days including that mission we originally were on.... within a couple of days Dukat will start to suffer from this Cardassian Urge, only because *I* am on this garbage scow? //

Kira shivered at the thought. She couldn't believe he had put her in this situation. She corrected herself. Oh yes, she could. He probably took great pleasure in seeing her in this situation! 

"I don't expect you to do anything but help me by staying out of sight when it's beginning to get too strong for me to handle, can you do that for me, or more so for yourself?" 

Dukat stopped pacing and stared intensively into her eyes.  
"I have never forced myself on a female and I am definitely not going to start now. Especially not with you, Major Kira. I respect you too much for that" 

If Kira hadn't been so upset she would have laughed in his face. Respect her? Instead she said with distress:  
"But what about Marza and Ezett, why don't they affect you this way?"  
"The Urge only applies on females that aren't family. As long as there are only males or only family members around, that reflex is not in effect. Unfortunately I have noticed that Bajoran females can lure it out, at least for me"

Dukat refused to acknowledge the fact that he wasn't telling Kira the truth - at least not the whole truth. 

"I loved Ziyal's mother and she experienced it, but to her it was welcome" 

Dukat's smile was almost sad. If Kira hadn't known better she could almost think that he wanted her to feel differently...

"Will you please tell me when, and I'll stay out of your way. And Dukat - is there nothing you can do - yourself?"

Kira didn't blush, far be it from her to do such a silly thing, but Dukat could tell she was uncomfortable.

"No Major, there isn't, but I wish there were" he said simply and turned around to leave. 

He wasn't about to tell Kira that it was almost two weeks since he was with his lover on Cardassia, and that the Urge was already beginning. It was yet very weak, but he could feel the desire building up inside him, and the feelings he had for Kira Nerys would make it strong pretty soon. But he knew he could suppress it at least for another couple of days. But then what? He would be making a complete fool out of himself either day, he could just feel it. Dukat growled to himself as he made his way back to his quarters. 

Kira looked after his disappearing slim body for a long time after he was gone. She shivered. Cardassians! Just her luck to be the only woman who could "help" Dukat with his "problem". The mere thought of having to - with Dukat! - made her sick, didn't it? 

Kira's uncertainty made her uncomfortable and made her wonder if a little soul-searching could be in place. But she shrugged and forced herself to forget that small hesitation. Her subconscious whispered 

//I think thou art protesting too much//

Maybe her feelings for the Cardassian Gul were more complex than she would ever want to know. Soon enough she might be forced to face them....

Kira knew herself well enough to know that she disliked Dukat so much because he was Cardassian. But she wouldn't admit it, because that would make her have to examine her true opinions of the sarcastic reptilian son of a - Cardassian bitch!! This whole situation made her so angry she could scream! It was much easier to hate him than anything else.

* * * 

Dukat went to his quarters to turn in for the night. He had been awake for almost 36 hours and he really needed his sleep. Mekket could pilot this vessel just as well as he could. And Mekket would also be pretty lenient towards Dukat for the remainder of this trip. Gul Dukat was upset that it would be necessary but he was also grateful because he knew he was going to need it. 

He turned out the lights and went to bed, but he couldn't sleep, all he could think of was Major Kira Nerys, and what he would like to do with her. He grunted and was thankful she didn't know the whole truth about the Urge. He found some comfort in the fact that she thought it was purely sexual. A drive that he could not suppress and something that had nothing to do with feelings. 

Unfortunately that wasn't entirely true. Actually it wasn't true at all. All he could hope for was that no one aboard the Bird of Prey would enlighten her. He had to talk to Ziyal about that and stay as much out of Kira's way as he possibly could. He didn't want this to affect her too, as he knew it would eventually, no matter how much he, or she, fought it. 

* * * 

The next morning when Kira came to the bridge, it was still early, but nonetheless they had reached Melkor 5 several hours ago. An Away Team had been sent to the surface three hours ago, lead by Dukat. Kira was relieved she could postpone meeting him for a while longer. Fortunately the news were good. They had been able to extract Dilithium from the caves. 

"They will have enough to support us for the trip back to DS9" Ziyal explained to Kira.  
"Unfortunately it won't make us reach the wormhole until a nearly two months from now anyway"  
"There is another solution." Kira said. 

She had been lying awake for several hours the evening before. Instead of allowing herself to dwell on what Dukat told her before she went to bed, she had been occupying her mind with ways to get home sooner. And she found one solution that just might work if the Prophets were smiling on them. 

"And what is that?" Ziyal's voice indicated a lot of interest in Kiras  
solution. "You know, the sooner we get back, the better it is for you. Papa told you yesterday what is happening to him, didn't he?"

Kira's answer was short and didn't invite any elaborations on the subject.

"Yes."

She turned silent for a few seconds and then she continued.

"Now, about my idea. I thought we could trace that Particle Storm we were caught up in and investigate if it has the same pattern all along. Maybe it travels the same places in cycles, sort of like a comet."  
"And then we could enter it on its way back to the Alpha Quadrant?" Ziyal's voice turned excited. Then she looked distraught.  
"What is it?" Kira wondered mildly.  
"The only one who could possibly have enough knowledge to help you with that is my father, Nerys. That means the two of you will have to spend a lot of time together. This is not what you should be doing if you want to fight the Urge."  
"Uh - *maybe* I could do it myself?" 

Kira paused to contemplate her chances of completing the task alone, but she came to a depressing conclusion. 

"No, I don't know enough about these kind of phenomena myself. Oh Holy Prophets, what shall we do then?" Kira spat out. She realized she had run out of options and she didn't care for the feeling. 

Several hours later when Dukat and his team came back to the ship, they discussed the problem and Dukat said:

"The subspace communication we sent off to Deep Space Nine should reach them by the end of tomorrow. They will probably send out either the Defiant or some other starship to our aid, and they should reach us within a couple of weeks. During that time Mekket can pilot our Bird of Prey as far as we can get to meet up with that the Defiant. And during that time you will put me in stasis. That is the only way, or else I will, no matter how hard I try not to, hurt Major Kira, not physically but mentally."

Ziyal's soft voice protested:  
"But Father!"  
"It is the only way, Ziyal" her father said mildly. But that he didn't want any arguments was obvious to all. 

And that was the end of the discussion.

* * * 

The crew of the Bird of Prey kept piloting the ship on its way back to Deep Space Nine. Kira found herself with a visitor in her quarters a couple of hours later. It was Dukat's daughter Ziyal.

"Nerys, can I talk to you?"

Ziyal was the only one on the vessel Kira had allowed to call her by first name. She felt protective of the girl, as if they were related somehow, and she had been Ziyal's guardian for months on Deep Space Nine by now. She considered Ziyal her "daughter" as well as a close friend 

"Of course you can Ziyal, I've been meaning to talk to you anyway."

Ziyal seemed hesitant to talk about whatever was on her mind, so she grasped for the opportunity to put it off for a while. 

"What about?"  
"On the bridge earlier today - Dukat mentioned he would put himself in stasis in order to keep himself from carrying out the urge. That would be a good idea, but you began protesting. Then he silenced you." Kira said mildly and looked into Ziyal's face. "Is there any other reason for you not wanting him to go into stasis - other than the fact that some Cardassians get very sick when they are brought back?" 

Ziyal turned her gaze to the floor. Kira had gotten right to the point after all. 

"My father would kill me..." She looked up with a smile "Or maybe not - but he would get very angry with me if he knew we were having this conversation. But yes, there is another reason. As you just mentioned a lot of Cardassians don't take well to being put in stasis, but what you might not know is that some will not wake up at all." 

The expression on Ziyal's face was very concerned. 

"Father has only been put in stasis once before, and it nearly killed him. If he hadn't had the best equipment available, designed for the sole purpose of helping Cardassians with this disease to wake up, he would never have been here today. To put my father into stasis could very well be a death sentence."

Kira felt like screaming. Wasn't there *anything* they could do? 

"But with the proper equipment they will be able to help me!"

Dukat's voice from the entrance to Kira's quarters did not accept any attempts to argue. 

"Go on Ziyal, and help Marza with her training, OK?" Dukat said, but didn't look at his daughter. His eyes were glued to Major Kira's shape where she was sitting in the sofa. 

"Will you two be okay - alone?"  
"Go on, I said, It's not that bad yet, daughter, now leave us!"  
Ziyal left with one more troubled look at Kira, which told her that Dukat might not be as trustworthy as she would like him to be. 

"I promise you Major, that I will not let myself forget that I am appalling to you. Believe me, the mere thought of that makes my Urge easier to bear for a while. Now I will leave you alone. He turned his back on her and was almost out in the corridor when Kira's voice stopped him. 

"Dukat..."

He turned around.

"Yes Major."  
"I will *not* let you go into stasis. I refuse to endanger your life or anybody else's aboard this vessel if I can help it!"  
"Major, do you realize...?"

But Kira interrupted him

"Yes I realize what that means, it means we will have to work really hard to find those traces of that Particle Storm and try to go back with it so you can go home to your lover and lose this Urge of yours. And do me a favor Dukat, suppress it as long as you possibly can, and then please warn me when you can no longer do it, OK?"  
"I'll do my best Major, but don't trust me too much."  
"That will be easy, I never trusted you, so I'll just keep an eye on you as I always do!"

But when Dukat looked at her, as he was about to leave, Kira wondered how any man could suppress such desire for very long.

//It has already begun. // Kira thought to herself.

But her fear did not amount to the threat. What was happening to her?

// Oh no // Dukat thought to himself //I am strong, I can handle this!// 

But the desire that was beginning to burn inside of him, making him long for the woman, second in command of DS9, would only get stronger the next days to follow. He knew he couldn't keep it away for long. He had to let Kira know what she was getting into before he let her persuade him not to go into stasis. He realized he had not choice but to let Kira know the truth - the whole truth. 

"Ziyal!" He called out when he reached his daughter's quarters.  
"Yes father. "  
"The book, give Kira the book."  
"Are you sure, father?" Ziyal knew exactly what book Dukat was talking about.  
"No, I am not sure, but that stubborn Bajoran female will not let me put myself in stasis since you informed her of my disease, so I just have to make sure she knows what she's getting herself into and what that means, to both of us"  
"I am sorry, father!" Ziyal said and looked up into Dukat's eyes. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a tender hug.  
"Don't worry Ziyal. I know you did it because you love me and because you care! Now go and give that stubborn Bajoran female the book." 

Ziyal pulled away from his embrace and nodded. 

"Yes father, I'll give it to her right away." Ziyal couldn't help but smiling. 

//Stubborn Bajoran female - Well she knew a very stubborn Cardassian Gul too! //

* * *

The sound when someone rang the doorbell irritated Kira. She wanted to be alone to think. She couldn't endanger Dukat's life - but the prospect of having to have sex with a Cardassian wasn't her idea of fun! That *was* what would eventually happen. She knew that after seeing the look on his face. No man could fight such desire for very long. She could see how it was already eating away at his pride and his dignity. She didn't want that for Dukat. No matter how she felt about him, she had always admired him and the Cardassian race for their pride.

They were a strong, confident race. They were grim - but beautiful. But on the other hand, she was not prepared to sleep with Dukat just to let him keep his dignity. If she were really set on revenge to make him pay for all Cardassians mistakes she would take great joy in this, but she didn't. Kira realized she would never want Dukat stripped of his dignity. 

"Come in," she said. Her voice tired. "Ziyal?"  
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late Nerys, I just want to give you this."  
"Would you like to come in?" Kira was puzzled as Ziyal handed her a book.  
"No, I think you should read this, right now, there are some things you should know about, so I will leave you to it, Goodnight Nerys"  
"Goodnight Ziyal" she said, but the doors were already closed behind the young female, and Kira's attention had already strayed to the book. It was a rather thin volume, maybe 100 pages or so, but it was a large book and it looled like it was very old. 

The title said:  
CARDASSIAN PHYSIOLOGY, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR

// Holy prophets! What is this thing? // Kira thought to herself. //This is a book I never saw myself reading...// 

But she understood why Dukat's daughter had given it to her. And she guessed that some of what she was about to read was things the Gul could never bring himself to tell her in person. She could see that he took no more pleasure in the situation than she did, even if he kept the usual facade of smug irony, which was his personality. 

Kira began reading, and the more she read the more discouraged she got. Dukat had lied to her. Kira had thought that this Urge of his was purely sexual, and stroke at random, as long as the Cardassian male didn't have a mate. But that wasn't true. 

Cardassians were more like other humanoids than she had thought. First they were attracted to someone, then they might fall in love, and then and only then, did the Urge set in. Not before, and not after. And this only if the male didn't already have a mate that he really loved. Obviously Dukat did not love his former wife, or the lover he left behind on Cardassia Prime. The conclusion she had to make from this passage of the book made her cringe. 

This meant Dukat had feelings for her that she had never known, and probably never would have known about - unless they had been swizzled away by that Particle Storm. 

But the worst part of this Urge wasn't that. It was something even worse, it was - contagious. Kira felt a lack of a better word to describe it. The book called it 'Forced Love'. 

According to the book this meant that if a female spent a lot of time with a male who was affected by this Urge she would get it too, or vice versa, no matter how hard they struggled to fight it. The only way to escape an unwelcome counterpart was to put a lot of distance between the two persons. Kira felt the fear settle down on her. As she could see it, she had only three choices: 

// Either I let Dukat go into stasis and I will be safe. - Or I refuse to let him do that and confine myself to quarters for the remainder of this trip - which, at best, will be at least a month and a half // 

Her third choice was to refuse Dukat's stasis and work with him on tracking the Particle Storm and hope they would get caught in it before the Urge overcame them both. Not much to choose from. She couldn't risk Dukat's life by allowing him to go into stasis whether he was Cardassian or not. And she knew she would never be able to stay in her quarters for a month plus. That would kill her. And putting herself in stasis wouldn't help. 

When Dukat couldn't fight the Urge any longer. No stasis, no confinement would stop him. He would get to her. Wake her up from the stasis if he had to. Some of the examples of the book made that abundantly clear. So she would have to take her chances on getting to DS9 before she was *infected* with this 'Forced Love'. 

// And if we don't make it in time? I will probably be pretty happy by then!// Kira thought to herself. 

But the mere prospect of herself falling for the former dictator made her want to cry. Her innermost self opposed that very thought. It would be against everything she was, everything she believed in, to fall in love with a Cardassian, no matter how unwillingly. She was trembling. Not many things scared Major Kira Nerys of the Bajoran militia - but right now she wasn't scared, she was terrified. 

"Damn you Dukat! Typical Cardassian behavior!" she shrieked. "You just take what you want with no consideration, no compassion, nothing!" 

She threw the book into a wall and hid her face in her hands and cried. But her mind was made up, and only minutes later she was asleep, confident that her decision was, after all, the right one.

* * *

When Kira woke up the next morning she decided to go on reading that book a little while longer. She wanted to be fully prepared and know exactly what to expect from Dukat, and herself. As she read on, she got her hopes up a bit.

Some races are not affected at all, such as Vulcans and Klingons, and some races are more resistant, as are Bolians, Bajorans and....

Kira stopped reading. Maybe, just maybe she would be lucky. Maybe she was immune to this thing. It would be a great help to them both, since they were going to have to work together the next couple of days. Kira was just hoping they would find the traces of the Particle Storm pretty soon, and that its cycle wasn't too long. 

// What if it won't turn back in months? What if it doesn't have a cycle at all? // Kira shrugged and tried to think positive, it wasn't like her to be so pessimistic. But she couldn't help herself, the odds against her were too big. Ziyal's mother had been affected by this, and she was a Bajoran. And the book also said that fighting against it would only make it stronger, which meant that Dukat was in for a trial, as was she. The scariest part was that she felt herself getting more friendly towards Dukat and she didn't know whether that was because she was getting to know him better or if this Urge had already started to affect her. The fact that Dukat might not even fight the Urge didn't even dawn on her at this moment. 

Someone was at the door.

"Enter!"

Dukat was standing in the corridor. Kira felt her heart jump, when she saw him. It was a rather strange sensation actually. Kind of an uneasy anticipation - as if she didn't know what to expect really - from either of them. She felt uncomfortable, unsure of the situation and mostly of herself. 

"We'd better get started on tracing that Particle Storm before it gets too late." Dukat said harshly. 

He wasn't as full of mischief as usual, and that in itself gave Kira some idea of how much he had to restrain himself. That made her feel some kind of admiration for Dukat - maybe even a tiny bit of gratitude. The thought occurred to her that he didn't have to do this. 

She never figured him to be a caring person. But he must care quite a lot for her to do this. He seemed determined to not lose his integrity, and even more determined not to make her feel uncomfortable. He was a proud man, she must admit that.

"I'll be right with you."

As they were walking together to the science lab Dukat kept silent, and Kira actually felt speechless. She did not know what to say. But when they reached the science station it was empty and Dukat said:

"You have read the book" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes."  
"Then you know I lied to you."  
"That's wouldn't be the first time!" Kira said with a humorless bark of laughter. "But I don't blame you, I would have done the same thing. My attitude towards you haven't really allowed any revelations of that kind."  
"So after reading what you have to expect, are you still sure that you will not let me go into stasis? Eventually you will want this as much as I do..." 

Dukat turned around and looked straight into Kira's eyes. His gaze was intense enough to make her feel like he was examining her very soul. A passing thought in Kira's mind was how well she understood that the Cardassians made such fine interrogators - even without torture. They had hypnotizing eyes...

"Yes Dukat. I'm willing to take my chances here. At least I won't die if it turns out we can not resist this Urge of yours. Besides the book says some Bajorans can withstand it."

"For a while Major, yes, but not as much as a couple of months which it will take for us to get back to the Wormhole."

"Not if that Particle Storm will help us back, so let's get to it. If this works we might be back by the Wormhole within hours!" 

Dukat smiled.

"As you order, Major!" He made it sound like her wish was his command.

* * * 

// She will never know what this is costing me // Dukat thought, //Not even if it kills me //. He smiled ironically to himself, // I should be glad she's not a Betazoid...//

The next couple of hours they worked on trying to reprogram the scanner to detect the particles from the storm. The work went well, and soon they had modified the equipment to begin the scan, and if Dukat had a hard time being around Kira he didn't let it show for a second.

* * *

But when Ziyal showed up with some food for them, she realized that her father wasn't so unaffected as he tried to appear. 

"Do you want me to stay for a while, father?" she asked compassionately. 

She knew that the presence of a female family member could help keep the Urge down for a little while, so she offered him help the only way she could. 

* * *

"Please do, Ziyal." Dukat said and sat down beside one of the consoles with some Hasperaat - a Bajoran dish he had grown to like on Bajor during the occupation. It was spicy, and he thought maybe that would help him keep his mind off - *things* for a little while. He could feel his daughter's presence soothe his edgy nerves like a warm blanket and he felt himself relax a little for the first time in many hours. But he knew this was only temporary. If he was lucky, Ziyal's presence would help him for an hour or two at the most. But he was hoping he would gain some better control of himself during those precious minutes of pausing from the Urge that was actually becoming rather disturbing to him now. Time and again he caught himself thinking about Kira, the way she moved, talked, looked or just the light shining on her auburn hair and such stupid things. He was beginning to feel distracted. 

But - at least he hadn't begun thinking about her sexually, yet - at least not while he was occupied... He felt some consolation in that fact. He hoped that wouldn't happen yet for another couple of days or more. But he wasn't sure if he was hoping too much. 

* * * 

Kira was sitting in her own thoughts.

//I guess I should be grateful Dukat has such selfcontrol. If he'd been a Klingon he would probably have grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to his quarters by now. Correction - if Dukat had been a Klingon, this wouldn't have happened!//

Kira couldn't help but smile at the thought of a mix between Cardassians and Klingons in this matter. Ziyal probably felt that this silence was a bit disturbing, so she broke it:

"How are you coming along in your scanning of the Particle Storm?"  
"Our sensors tell us we are now at the exact location where we were when we entered this region of space" her father replied. 

Kira got up, and went over to the scanner, and started to do one of the first series of tests. First they had to determine if the storm indeed had a cycle. Then they must find out how much time went between every cycle, and also if they were left off during its course further away from where they came from. 

// Or maybe we were dropped off at the location where the storm turned back to the region of space where they had been when they were caught in it // Kira thought to herself. That would indeed be their best hope of coming home soon. 

* * *

Several hours later Kira and Dukat were both discouraged. From what the scanners told them the Particle Storm did actually have a cycle, and it would go back to where they came from. But they had been "dropped off" along the way, and there was no telling where the "returnstream" of this storm was. If they were to enter it at their present location it would only move them further away from home.

"We could use the long-range scanners to search for the returnstream," Dukat said when he saw how the bad news affected Major Kira. 

"Wouldn't that really just be a waste of time? That storm could have a very large cycle, and there is no telling when it will return," she said pessimistically. 

"We can't go searching for it, but we can put the scanners on a continuous long-range scan so that they will alert us if we come across this returnstream on our way back to DS9."

Dukat watched at her with a puzzled look on his face. She knew she wasn't usually this depressing. 

"If we keep the same course we will hopefully meet the stream on its way here, and then at least we will know how far between the cycles, and since we have the long-range scanners at work we won't be caught in it again. I think that is about the best we can do for now. And it would be better for both of us if we didn't work so closely for a while"

It was the first time in several hours that Dukat even hinted that this Urge was tough on him. Kira felt a flash of sympathy.

"How are you holding up?"

Her voice was concerned.

"So far, OK, but please don't be compassionate, that'll only make it worse. And for the time being I think you should leave."

Kira looked at him for a few seconds. His face was blank, but she could see the fire in his eyes and understood that it was getting worse, and fast. His hands where gripping firmly at the edges of the consoles he was leaning against. His knuckles where white from the pressure.

"Now, Major - or I will kiss you. And as much as it hurts me to admit - I know you won't like it"

Kira quickly turned around and left the science lab. She walked straight back to her quarters, without looking back. She was beginning to know how he felt. Because he was wrong, she *would* have liked it, and that scared her half to death. 

She sat down on her bed and tried to help herself by remembering the occupation of Bajor. How the Cardassians took her friends and neighbors to the forced labor-camps. How her mother had been taken away from her. She made herself remember all the suffering she went through as a member of The Shakaar Resistance. And that helped her enough - helped her not to long for Dukat, at least for a while. 

* * *

That night she had all kinds of dreams and they all were about Dukat. She was on the Defiant, crawling around in the Jeffries tubes. Dukat was after her and it didn't matter how fast she crawled, he just kept coming closer, and she longed for him to catch her. The next minute they were in the cave where they had found Ziyal, but instead of remembering how Dukat was close to shooting his own daughter the dream kept repeating the reunion between the Cardassian Gul and his daughter. She saw the love in his eyes when he looked at Ziyal. She longed for him to look at her the same way, but spiced with passion... And in her dreams she kept repeating: 

He would never have told you about Ziyal if he really wanted to kill her....

She woke up several times. Sweaty and with a soft ache between her thighs. She moaned and tried to ignore it. She still felt guilt of knowing *who* made her feel this way. 

When Kira woke up the next morning the dreams were still very clear and real in her mind. She started questioning herself and the judgments she had been passing on Dukat ever since she met him for the very first time. Her intelligence told her that this might be the effects of the Urge talking, but that didn't stop her from questioning herself. Some things she experienced during her dream, such as the truth about him and Ziyal were things she knew deep in her heart, but thoughts she never wanted to deal with.

// Maybe I have been very judgmental when it comes to Dukat?// she thought.

She remembered conversations they had had long before this Urge became an issue. Dukat always used to blame her for not wanting to see him the way he was. She remembered when they had been on Dukat's freighter maybe three or four months ago. During that voyage Dukat talked a lot with her, trying to get her to know him better, trying to tell her they were more alike than she wanted to admit. But the words she remembered most were these: 

I am a much more complicated man than you give me credit for, Major!  
She also remembered her quick response  
Then I guess I prefer simpler men.

She had always been so sure that she was right when she thought he was a ruthless, cruel, scheming and lying Cardassian, whose sole purpose in life was playing mind-games. Oh, she was very aware that he was definitely all that, now she had been forced to be around him a lot more than usual, and she had come to realize that there was more to the Cardassian than that. 

He was a caring man, a wonderful father, who wanted nothing but the best for his daughter and for his people. And he cared about her in a way she could never have guessed. The mere fact that he didn't succumb to the Urge because he knew it wasn't what she wanted, was proof of that. She realized that a lot of the things he did during the occupation he justified with the words "it was for my people". And even though she couldn't see it the same way, she knew that she had done the same thing as part of The Shakaar Resistance Cell. 

Many of the things she had done for the best of Bajor were cruel things. She had killed countless Cardassians in the name of freedom. And what had Dukat done that was so much worse?

// What has he done that I am not able to forgive? How could I ever forgive myself for all the deaths I caused during the occupation if I can't find it in my heart to forgive Dukat? // she asked herself. 

Tough questions. Questions she never wanted to deal with. He had done the very same thing she had for her people. He had followed his convictions, and done what he thought was best for his race. Even though the Cardassians were the aggressor in the Occupation she couldn't help thinking that they were more alike that she wanted them to be. Kira asked herself:  
If Dukat had been Bajoran, wouldn't I really, truly *admire* him

She couldn't - or wouldn't give herself an answer - maybe it was enough that she even asked herself that very question? A knock on her door abruptly disturbed her thoughts and she felt her heart jump. What was wrong? Whoever was out there didn't use the door communicator. Was there something wrong with the ship? 

"Computer! Open doors!" she tried, and the doors slid open as easily as always. And outside was Dukat.  
"Dukat? What is the matter? Why are you knocking on my door?"  
His face looked puzzled for a short moment.  
"Knock? Did I knock on your door? I didn't realize I was doing that. Well I guess I am a bit preoccupied. I apologize if I startled you."

Although that was exactly what Dukat had done, of course Kira didn't admit it.

"That's okay, what can I do for you?" She half expected him to look at her with a seductive smile and tell her to come to his bed, but he didn't. Was that disappointment she felt?  
"As much as I hate to admit this - I think we have a problem. I hope you don't mind if I'm being very candid with you Major."  
She kind of had a feeling what was coming, but she replied anyway:  
"Go on..."

Dukat entered the room and the doors closed behind him. Kira felt how her already small quarters shrunk even more. Dukat wasn't a tall male by Bajoran standards, but he was a very charismatic person. His presence didn't go unnoticed in the small room. The way he kept pacing around didn't help matters either. His pacing made her unable to avoid looking at him. 

Her eyes followed him as he kept pacing. Glued to his slender body, savoring the animalistic magnetism that came at her. She swallowed hard and felt that tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach that she'd been fighting for hours. Kira shrank at the thought. She never used to react this way to him before. She was really afraid that she was being affected by this damn Cardassian Urge too. It wasn't really bad yet. But she realized these were probably the first signs of her being affected. 

//So much for immune Bajorans //, she thought.

"This is getting really difficult for me, and being alone with you right now does not make it easier, but I am afraid I will have to endure this for a while longer. But I came up with an idea that might help us both."  
"And what is that?" Kira couldn't keep the anxiety away from her voice and the look on Dukat's face was very expressive. 

// Thank you for making me feel like a disgusting worm //, it said... or something to that effect. 

"This is ironic, isn't it?" he said. "You have to enjoy this tremendously. I know that you really don't like me very much, Major, and seeing me so helpless and totally vulnerable to you and to this Urge must make you feel very good. At least so long as you yourself aren't affected," 

Dukat's voice was filled with self-irony and his eyes glittered with humor but was, at the same time, filled with a sadness that gripped her heart. 

"I don't find this enjoyable at all. Yes, I admit you weren't..." Dukat's eyes flew open at the imperfect word and Kira soon corrected herself... "...aren't... exactly one of my favorite people, but I do not want to see anyone completely humiliated, and that is what we both will be unless we find a good solution to this. So what is your idea?"  
"You are beginning to feel it too, aren't you Major? "

He took a step closer to her and Kira couldn't move. She couldn't back away from him. His eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made Kira avoid his gaze.  
"I am truly sorry" he purred and didn't really sound sorry at all. But he hung on to her gaze and looked straight into her eyes, and Kira could feel the magnetism inside those eyes. She felt like the prey that was being paralyzed by a snake's hypnotizing glance. And she couldn't break the contact no matter how much she wanted to, all she wanted was to give in, to love him...

"Don't look at me that way, Dukat!" Kira blurted out angrily.

Much to her surprise Dukat looked away even before she finished speaking. Then he turned his back on her.  
"I'm sorry Major, I hadn't realized it had gotten so far."  
The relief when he let go of her gaze was enormous.  
"How far? "  
"I'm using my eyes to try and mesmerize you, and I wasn't even aware of it. Ziyal was right!"  
"About what?"  
"I'm not as strong as I think I am, and this thing has gotten further along than I thought which is all the more reason for me to tell you what I came her for."  
"Yes it definitely is, and I am still waiting impatiently."

"As you well know there are no holding cells on this Bird of Prey, and therefore no force-fields.  
"I know that. That is why I haven't suggested we lock you in your room."  
Dukat turned around with an ironic smile on his lizard-like features.  
"Ooh, that hurt, Major!"  
"Dukat! Will you please get to the point! We don't have time for these little word games, no matter how much you enjoy them! We've got to solve this before it gets too late!"  
"You are so right, Major. Well, as I said, there are no forcefields on this Bird, but it is still rather new to me so I went to inventory what exactly is in the cargo-bays. I found out we have all the components we need to create a forcefield around my quarters. That way you won't have to put me in stasis, and you will still be safe"

She felt hope rising in her stomach. 

"There is only one small problem. As you well know, you and I are the only ones capable of setting this thing up, and it will take at least a couple of days to arrange even if we work very quickly and don't run into too many problems on the way. And to be quite honest with you, that forcefield should have been up yesterday...

* * *

Dukat hated to admit the truth to her, but he had to. Right now he all he could think of was Kira and her... attributes. The sexual desire had set in and he wanted so much to give in to it. He knew he could make her feel the same way just by looking into her eyes again, but he wouldn't. He just wouldn't!

Kira looked down, she did not want to be caught in that gaze again, and although she didn't look at him she could feel his eyes burning her skin. She felt a growing longing to be with this man, and she craved to understand this Urge. 

"How do you feel? I mean... What is actually happening to you? We all get excited and everyone has felt passion but this completely different, it is so much stronger, I can sense that at least."  
"You have no idea, Major, but if I am right about what I said earlier, you will have a pretty good idea within the next couple of days. This state of mind defies all explanation but I will try to tell you, but right now I think we should go see Ziyal for a little while."  
"But..."  
"To see Ziyal, right now, Major, I am not made of stone."

Only minutes later they were in the cargo-bay sitting by one of the replicators with Ziyal. She seemed a bit uncomfortable and Kira just had to ask why.

"Didn't you read the book I gave you, Nerys?" she asked.  
"Yes I did." Then she turned silent for a second after which she admitted, "Well not all of it."  
"Obviously," Ziyal's words were no accusation, merely an acknowledgment of facts, and her voice was soft and she was smiling tiredly. "The Urge is getting so hard on my father that my presence doesn't help very much, and his feelings are becoming a bit ... uncomfortable for me. He is - after all - my father."

Kira felt herself almost panicking.

"But what then, what are we going to do?"  
"There isn't much we *can* do, Nerys," said Dukat. "All I can do is fight it, which only makes it stronger, and you can fight it, and we can pray that we get this forcefield up in time for me not to do anything to compromise you. I know that your feelings by that time will be different, but I also know that your mind will never accept this 'Forced Love' that is being inflicted on you. I have never had to force myself on a woman, I told you this before, and I do not intend to begin now, okay? Now, Ziyal, you must leave us. I do not wish you to suffer from this too." 

"Can't Marza and Ezett help us?" Kira wondered.  
Dukat shook his head.  
"If Ziyal, who is my daughter, which is about as closely related as you can be, cannot help me, neither can Marza and Ezett. And us being forced together on this small vessel is making this more or less inevitable."  
"As much as I hate to admit it, I am afraid you are right." 

// And I wonder what will happen when I get really caught up in this thing, and Dukat is locked up in his quarters, will I be strong enough to keep myself from going to him? // Kira wondered to herself. 

As she was an honest person she had to admit to herself that Dukat had become a lot more appealing to her these last few days. She didn't look upon his Cardassian features with disgust or hatred anymore. She only saw the warmth in his eyes, and the humor and self-irony with which he looked upon himself and life. 

He was a power-hungry man, true, but he would never let those he loved be hurt in his chase for power and high rank. He thought he could do that when he had looked Ziyal up, but her being alive was the perfect statement. He just wasn't capable of hurting those he loved. The fact that he agreed to help her with this mission proved that. In afterthought she realized he had done this only because of his feelings for her. Ziyal had nothing to do with it. She had been happy on DS9 and Dukat could have visited her whenever he wanted to, so that wasn't it. The only reason he agreed to help her to investigate that Cardassian outpost was his interest in her. This though she knew how much it meant to him to fight the Klingons to help his homeworld. 

Yet he left the battle to help her investigate the traces of an old friend of hers on a remote Cardassian moon! Be it only for a short time, but all the same... 

She couldn't understand how she could have been so blind. But a few days ago, the mere thought of a Cardassian having romantic feelings for her would have made her sick. In fact, it still did, as long as the Cardassian wasn't Dukat. That made her feel - well, not sick anyway...

"So, shouldn't we get started on that forcefield?" Kira wondered.  
"Will you please count me out, Nerys?" Ziyal said.  
"Of course Ziyal, I think your father and I will have to make it on our own from now on."  
"I'm afraid so, Nerys" Dukat agreed. 

* * * 

Ziyal couldn't help but notice this was the second time her father had called Major Kira by her first name, Nerys, without her protesting. Secretly she was hoping that Kira would give in to her father eventually. She knew how Dukat felt for Kira a long time ago. She had seen that right away, when Kira saved her life. And she knew that the Urge didn't make the love any less true - on the contrary, but Kira didn't know that, and Dukat was surely not going to tell her. 

He didn't like the Urge, he never did. He thought that love should come voluntarily, and he had been affected by it only once before, with Ziyal's mother, Naprem, and back then he was welcome. Her father had told her all of this, when she had asked about her and her mother She therefore understood that he didn't believe in forcing Kira to him. He refused to use his gaze, and he didn't stay closer to Kira than necessary. Couldn't Kira see this? Ziyal wondered. Couldn't Nerys see how much her father cared about her? 

In Ziyal's opinion they were only fighting this against all odds. When finally in full effect, the Urge wouldn't just go away only because the two of them went their separate ways. She would be able to see Kira long for Dukat back on DS9 for a long time if she didn't give in right here and now. But her father had forbidden her to tell Kira this.

"Maybe she is stronger than we think, maybe this doesn't have such a profound effect on Bajoran females as on Cardassians. We don't know that. And Kira should have the right to decide this for herself. I am the monument of all bad things that ever happened to Bajor during the Cardassian occupation to her!" Dukat had said to his half-Bajoran daughter. 

"Kira sees me as a murderer and nothing else, I must never forget that, because if I do that I am only fooling myself and that will hurt more than anything."

Ziyal had to respect that. How could she not?

A few hundred yards away, in the cargo-bay. Kira and Dukat were being helped by Marza and another male Cardassian named Jak'raar to gather all the equipment needed for the forcefield. Then they would use a site-to-site transporter to get it to Dukat's quarters. Kira felt Dukat's presence as if they were joined at the hip. And the yearning to be closer to him grew more intense as the minutes passed by. One minute felt like ten, and she was ready to scream, as he accidentally touched her or she stroke her arm against his when he passed some equipment over to her and so on. 

It was painfully obvious to her that his torment was much worse. His eyes burnt her as he looked at her and the gasps for air when he stroke his hand against her arm or leg made his position abundantly clear to her. This was horrible, and as far as she could understand she wasn't half as badly affected as Dukat. How could he stand this? She was amazed at the fact that he hadn't done as she thought he would have if he had been Klingon...

//How come he has done nothing to persuade me to come to him? All he has to do by now is ask!// Kira admitted to herself. 

She understood that his Urge must be almost unbearable, or else she wouldn't be so badly affected so soon. She had heard about this only three days ago. And it was only a week and a half since they left Deep Space Nine. According to the book she shouldn't be so far gone yet. 

An hour later the transport was complete, and all the other Cardassians, who had been helping them, suddenly disappeared.

"I'm sorry Major, but Cardassians can sense the Urge. To those not affected it is quite uncomfortable. Embarrassing in fact. The Urge is a private matter..."

"I do understand, Dukat, I just don't trust us alone together anymore. I am already longing to give in to this thing, and it'll take us at least two days to fix this forcefield. I don't see how we can possibly make it. We will be fighting ourselves, and what we both really want."  
"What our bodies want - not our minds, at least not yours!" he said with a tired smile. "And I am not going to force you into anything Nerys."

"Why are you doing this Dukat? Why are you fighting this? It's been all you want for several days now? You know I will give in if you try to make me. Why don't you? I just don't understand it. Why are you being so considerate? Why do you care about my feelings? I will be happy when I finally give in!"

Kira looked at him intensely as she continued:

"According to the book you gave me. After we have consummated our relationship, I will never understand how I could have ever have disliked you?"  
"You really don't understand it, do you, Nerys?" Dukat said with a sad smile.  
Kira was already irritable and angry, and his remark made her just blow up.  
"Should I? This is the most frustrating thing I have ever been through in my life! One of the few people I really, truly don't like, has such a hold on me. Something inside me is yearning to give in to this thing! And the truth is I almost wish it had been Quark instead!"

Dukat's eyes started to glitter, and he couldn't help a smile from breaking through. Kira flew at him and started punching her fists against his chest. But Dukat could see her fighting very hard not to smile, and he grabbed her wrists as he watched her lose the fight. Soon they were both laughing their hearts out. 

"Look at us, Dukat, this is really stupid! A few days ago I would never have been able to laugh with you. I really don't like you enough to be able to do that. And now look at me, what is happening to me, Dukat?"

The vulnerability in Kira's voice was obvious and Dukat felt how angry he was at this Urge that really didn't consider the individual's feelings. He knew it had been a necessary thing for survival for the Cardassians centuries ago. But it was no longer needed to keep the race alive and strong, and he wished this had never happened to them. For Kira's sake, more than for his own. 

He had wanted this a long time before the Urge set in. Which only made him angrier with himself. How could he have put her in this kind of situation? Even if he thought she wouldn't be on the Bird of Prey long enough for this to happen, he should have taken precautions. He could have brought Kasz'a, but the truth was he didn't want his Cardassian lover to meet Kira. Kasz'a would have expected him to be more attentive than he could possibly be with Kira around. But at least he could have spared the Major this experience... But a big part of him just wanted her to give in and to let them both enjoywhat this Urge could give them. 

//Giving in would be sweet, oh so sweet... // Dukat thought to himself as he lifted his hands and put them on Kira's shoulders. Then, without being able to resist any longer he pulled her towards him, and then he kissed her. He felt his blood starting to boil as soon as their lips met. He wanted her so much that it hurt. 

He didn't like to be crude, but he had had a constant erection for hours and it was getting rather painful. Kira melted in his arms and pressed herself towards him, and her lips were warm and soft against his. He took what he wanted, letting his tongue dig deep into her mouth. The tip of her tongue tickled his. Like a bird, fluttering and it sent a thrill down his spine that made his legs weaken. All he wanted was to lift her up into his arms and carry her to his bed. Carry her to his bed where he would take her without any hesitation. Letting himself enjoy what he needed, oh so badly. He could see himself thrusting into her with a frenzy he had never felt before. He felt his stiffness press against her crotch and he wanted her closer. Much closer. 

He almost did it. He almost pulled her up into his arms to carry her to his quarters, but then he heard her softly moaning against him, and he abruptly pushed her away. 

"No!"

The single word was filled with frustration and self-contempt. 

"Why Dukat? I want you too. You can feel it. Could you just explain to me why you just don't make me give up?" Kira wondered. 

Her cheeks were red and her eyes sparkled with passion. Dukat had never wanted anything as much as he wanted her that very moment. Yet he restrained himself. 

"You *know* why I don't, Nerys." He truly believed she knew.  
"You want me to humiliate myself and come crawling to you, is that it?" Kira spat out.

Dukat's eyes turned black, as the words she uttered had the same effect on him as a cold shower, then he turned his back on her and left. Her words hurt him so much that he wanted to hit her. Instead he left her standing before he did something he'd regret. He had been hoping that she had gotten to know him better than that during the past week, but obviously her hatred for him and the Cardassians was so strong that her thickheaded skull couldn't provide him with any positive qualities at all. The sad part was that he loved her, pure and simple. He admired her incredible strength and courage. She never bowed to anything if she was convinced she was right. She was inventive and clever. Her hair reminded him of the hot sunsets of the Cardassian deserts. He loved her fierceness and her humor. Her temper was magnificent like fire. She turned that old freighter deadly warship which had landed him *this* prize, with hardly any equipment at all! She was kind and caring to people she liked. Look at how she took care of Ziyal even though she had no love left for him, Ziyal's father. Not many people would take on a half Bajoran- /Cardassian the way Kira Nerys had done. And yes, he loved her for all those wonderful qualities. 

He wished he didn't. But he did. The saddest part was, he knew exactly why she acted the way she did. His people - he - had been horrible towards the Bajorans during the occupation, and he still was a Cardassian. Many of the qualities Kira really hated about his people were a large part of him. He might not be proud of all the things he had done in his life, but he was proud to be a Cardassian, and that wouldn't change. 

* * *

"What did I say? What did I do?" Kira wondered out loud.  
The look on Dukat's face when he left really scared her. It looked like he was only inches away from being pushed over the edge. She was glad he had enough sense to just leave her standing, because whatever reaction she'd expected on those words, she never expected him to be hurt. 

But he had been and Kira now had to re-evaluate him again, and ask herself why those words hurt him so much. She soon realized the truth, and admitted to herself that she had known how it for a long time. Her last words had been uncalled for. 

Then her heart started pounding as she realized neither she, nor Dukat, would ever be in any condition to finish the forcefield for Dukat's quarters. She wanted to give in to the Urge so badly. That single kiss he gave her had set her blood on fire, like never before. 

Dukat had been right. This state of mind defied all explanation. Every fiber in her body wanted to love him back, every cell inside her wanted to feel him against her, and she wanted him in every way possible, Cardassian or not, and after realizing that, she decided what to do about it. 

* * *

Hours later, Dukat was still in his room. He had just showered and changed clothes from that uncomfortable Cardassian military uniform, into something more leisure. He didn't expect to be able to leave his room for as long as he had the self-control to stay there. He had already spoken to Mekett, who had agreed to take care of Dukat's duties for the days to come. Cardassians seldom showed compassion for each other, but Mekett had uttered a few words to Dukat before he left:

"Stubborn lady, that Major Kira."  
"Yes, stubborn lady.... and stubborn Cardassian". Dukat thought to himself. He had many ways to *convince* Kira to give in if he wanted to, and his mesmerizing gaze was only one of them, but he was intent not to use it or any of the others. 

He would fight this as long as he could, and he was convinced Kira would never come to him, so hopefully they would be well on their way before he gave up. 

// Maybe we will even be met by the Defiant before it is too late. Maybe we will find the return-stream before it was is late... Maybe... //

His thoughts were abruptly cut when he sensed Kira outside his door, long before she made her presence known. His acute senses had grown stronger where she was concerned these last few days. He picked up her scent like an animal. And it made his arousal grow stronger again. He felt the uncomfortable sensation of himself pressing against the cloth of his pants. He smiled ironically to himself. He had been fooling himself into thinking he could fight this, but he had no way of knowing how strong this Urge would become. 

"Stupid woman, why does she put herself in harms way like this? I cannot withstand this desire for her if she keeps dropping by as if we were just casual acquaintances." Dukat muttered to himself. 

Then the doors to his quarters slid open. 

Kira was standing outside his door, wearing a long, white dress. It was created in dozens of layers that flew around her like not quite transparent mist. It didn't leave much else to show, and the effect it had on him was profound. Dukat gasped for breath and felt himself harden even more. If she didn't get out of there within seconds he would push her down on the floor and take her. Take what she was offering so carelessly without knowing the repercussions. 

"Did you know your lovely daughter kept these bottles in handy for us? She knows we both like it" Kira said casually and held up a bottle of Bajoran Spring wine. 

* * * 

Kira's heart fluttered when she saw him.  
"What are you trying to accomplish here, Major?" Dukat growled. "Are you trying to drive me insane, because you are doing a very good job of it!" Dukat's eyes were burning as he looked at her. She could feel the heat of them piercing their way through her heart. 

"Leave, Major, please!" he pleaded.  
"Nerys, Dukat, my name is Nerys, and I just gave up, in case you hadn't realized. I don't want to fight this anymore. Your Urge has become too strong for me. I want to apologize for my stupid remark earlier, and just to prove it - here I am. I am coming to you, because I just realized you wouldn't come to me even if it would kill you. You love me too much."  
"Major, go away, please. Don't do this to yourself. Don't do this to *me*!" 

Kira was amazed that he kept struggling. As if he really was trying to be considerate. No matter what the cost for himself. She could see the black shades underneath his blue eyes and the stiffness in his chin. Dukat turned around and leaned against the table by the bed. His back was very straight and his entire body tense from self-control.

"Do what, Dukat? This is what we want."  
"Not this way, Nerys, not this way we don't" he uttered between his teeth.  
"What is wrong with this?"  
"This Urge is forcing you to do something you really don't want for yourself. If we make it to DS9, maybe, just maybe it will go away."

His voice sounded almost desperate. 

"No, Dukat, I have been talking to Ziyal and she explained it all to well for me. It is too late, and we both know it. Now this is what I want too."  
"Nerys! You don't know what you are saying, go away before I do something I will regret. Something *you* will regret."

Dukat's eyes were burning. His whole body was tense with the huge desire he felt to give in, and yet he kept struggling not to give up. 

"I was trying to get some sleep, but all I could think of was the kiss you gave me and how much I wanted you to kiss me again. Dukat, please stop being so heroic and give up, because I have."

Kira reached out to him and lifted her arms to slide into his embrace.

"I am standing in a Cardassian's arms Dukat, and I feel like I have finally come home. Ironic isn't it?"

* * *

Dukat felt how the Urge overcame him like a tidal wave. He couldn't have fought Kira even if his life depended on it. He felt his muscles relaxing.

// All - but one...// he thought and smiled ironically to himself. Then he lowered his head and gave Kira what she was begging for. A kiss.

"Nerys, oh, Nerys I love you" he groaned. "I wish I didn't because if I hadn't you would never be in this situation..."

Kira's laughter wasn't bitter, but disillusioned.

"Well Dukat, at least we do love each other, it's too late for anything else, and I suggest we make the best of it."

Now that they had decided to give in to the Urge, it was no longer so overwhelming. 

"Is it always like this?" Kira wondered.  
"I wouldn't know, I have never felt this way before" Dukat admitted. 

He lifted her up in his arms, and his hands felt smooth and warm against her back. For some reason, Kira had always imagined a Cardassian's skin to be cold, sort of like she imagined a snake's skin to be cold, but she was as wrong about Cardassians as she had proven to be about snakes. Kira suddenly felt grateful for this Urge, because she understood now that the 'Forced Love' was stronger than she had imagined, and that she and Dukat would be able to face any troubles together, and that they truly were a great team as Dukat always claimed. Dukat put her down on his bed and followed to lay on top of her. His wiry body pressed against hers and her loins ached for him. She lifted her abdomen to press against him and he laughed silently. 

"Now, Nerys, for the last time I ask you, are you completely sure about this, because if we go any further..."  
"Yes, Dukat, I am definitely sure." Kira looked straight in his eyes and pulled him closer. 

No more words were uttered and Kira felt Dukat's hands pull the skirt of her dress up. Again his movements were feverish and uncontrolled. She looked at him with amazement. His face was so concentrated, so stern. She could tell he had given up just like she had. She felt the need suddenly overcome her and she was no longer capable of watching him objectively. Instead her hands flew to his belt and opened it. She opened the buttons and the zipper of his pants and pulled them down. 

He started to undo the small buttons on her dress, but grew impatient and tore it off of her with a hard pull. It turned into silky shreds and fell unto the floor like a cloud made out of thin fabric. She could no longer feel anything but the joy to finally see Dukat. Because she saw nothing but beauty and her eyes feasted on his Cardassian slim body as she pulled open his black shirt. His skin was gray on his chest as well. But it was smoother than she'd imagined. It was the first time she ever saw him wear anything but the Cardassian uniform and it made it easier for her to enjoy what was happening. She forgot he was Cardassian and all she saw was him - Dukat - the man she had grown to love - however unwillingly. 

Without further hesitation, but with impatience, she helped Dukat with both his, and her own clothes. There wasn't much difference between him and any Bajoran, or human male, except for the color of his skin, the broad neck which was swollen and tense from the arousal he felt. She lifted her hands to caress it. To feel the structure of the skin around his neck and he let out a surprised and hard gasp of delight when she did. 

"Oh, Nerys, that feels so good, so good..."

Encouraged by his reaction she kept caressing him, realizing that his neck was an extremely erogenous zone. He closed his eyes at her touch and she let her hands wander further up, to his face. The distinct ridges on his chin felt familiar to her. As if she had always known them and loved them. His passion showed itself the same way it did on any other male, on any other species, she'd ever been intimate with. That felt like a comfort to Kira. This would be no different from any other sexual relationship she had before.

Finally their clothes were gone and he lifted her as if she weighed less than a feather and she was so ready for him she felt like she would fall to little pieces if he didn't come to her right now. And so, finally, he did - he slid into her with a quick, flowing movement and she gasped as she could feel him fill her completely. 

She opened her eyes and gazed into his. They were black with desire and she leaned forward to kiss him as she locked her arms around his neck and followed his movements which gave them both pleasure, greater than anything she'd ever felt before. But she wasn't prepared for the sudden flash of emotions she would feel. Her entire self felt complete, whole, as if Dukat was what, and who, she had been longing for her entire life. She gasped for breath as she let the feelings engulf her.

"Oh, Nerys, I know!" he cried out. "It's incredible, isn't it? And we haven't even begun..."

"Don't move yet, Dukat" Kira whispered. Kira felt how she wanted to move too, but stayed still in his arms. Just to savor the moment.  
"This is too good to rush through."

And while he was inside her, but still, they both felt the incredible strength of the feelings that the Urge had provoked between them, and they both knew that there was no turning back now. Nobody would ever be able to make them feel this way again, and both Dukat, and Kira knew that this love would last until either of them died. 

"We should savor this moment" Dukat said. "Cardassian poetry states that no moment is like the first minutes after the first consummation of the Urge." 

"Like bathing in emotion.  
Love is all around you  
And it is eternally yours"

Dukat bent his head down and started kissing Kira's neck, shoulders and he kept searching his way down to her breasts. His tongue was moving fast, warm and wet over what felt like her entire body, and then he started pushing his way back and forth into her. Kira, lying there underneath him, felt like her whole body was a sensitive love instrument tuned perfectly into his.

* * *

Dukat lay there beside Kira and he just couldn't believe she had actually come to him willingly. His skin was tingling. His heart was pounding and he felt like a young boy in love for the first time. This moment he would never forget. 

He never thought this moment would come. He never thought Kira and him would become lovers. He knew he had been a bastard. He had so many enemies on Cardassia that he had learnt to be cruel. He had forgotten how to be compassionate and good to people around him. But all the while he had been in love with this Bajoran woman that really hated him. If he could have chosen he would never really have wanted this - for Kira's sake. It was wrong, since she really didn't want this, but the Urge had set in, swept away the hatred, like it meant nothing, and that was it. They had nothing to put up against it, and now it was too late and he couldn't feel sorry about it. 

"Now what?" Kira asked. They had just made love for the second time and Dukat could feel how the passion was wearing off for a little while. Kira obviously felt the same way. So she was wondering - what would become of them now. Dukat knew she hadn't read the entire book, so he sighed. She probably thought that from now on the Urge would become less prominent, since they had acted upon it. Like normal sex. 

He knew how most humanoids worked. Mostly they had sex a couple of times and then it could take hours or even days before they turned to each other again. Even when they had just fallen in love. The Urge was a bit different. Eventually that was what would happen to them as well... but not yet. He smiled. She'd find out in time... 

She would find out that was more to it. 

// Wasn't there always? // he asked himself. 

He knew that this would wear off for a couple of hours only to build up again, as strong as it had been just before they consummated their relationship. He wasn't sure if he would let Kira know or let her discover it by herself... 

He grinned. They would be walking around in a constant arousal. And even though it could have happened at a more convenient time in his life and with a more suited subject, he couldn't help looking forward to the wonderful time life had in store for them. Dukat grinned widely and made up his mind. She would discover soon enough. And he couldn't wait. He rose from the bed and he could feel Kira looking at him. He just hoped she enjoyed the view. His body was slim - slimmer than most of his people, and he wasn't very tall by Cardassian standards, but more than one woman had become attracted to him. But he seldom returned the feeling. And none of them had been able to make him feel the Urge. Only Naprem, and it had been nothing like this... 

Even his last lover Kas'za, who had really wanted to become his mate, wasn't in love with him.

* * *

//Oh, he is magnificent, how could I ever have thought that Cardassians were ugly?// Kira wondered as she watched him get out of bed and get dressed. 

// She didn't really want to admit it but sex had never been so fulfilling. Never. Not with Vedek Bareil, not with Shakaar, not with anyone //. 

The aversion she had felt toward Dukat was completely gone. She felt the same way about Cardassians as she always did, but Dukat wasn't like them. Not any more. He was her mate. Of course she still remembered all the bad things he had done during the Occupation of Bajor. She remembered what the his people had done. But she also remembered Ghemor, the Cardassian who had almost become like a father to her. She had loved him. He had done some bad things as well... she had forgiven Ghemor, and now she had forgiven Dukat as well. 

She wondered if she had feelings for Dukat already back then. Maybe those feelings had scared her so much that she hated him for it. It was a lot easier to hate him than to love him. She knew they had a rough ride ahead of them. Dukat wasn't exactly popular among her friends and loved ones. She remembered the compliments he gave her last time they were on a Cardassian freighter. She never realized he meant them before. Until now. The words "which only gives me further incentive to regain my position at the Central Command". She had laughed at him then, as he was referring to her being drawn to powerful men. Back then, the mere thought of Gul Dukat really being attracted to her was ridiculous. 

Another thing he had said was when she offered to take care of Ziyal at the station made her even more aware that he had probably been attracted to her for a very long time. He had said  
"You realize, Major, that our lives have now become forever intertwined?"  
She had answered something about the fact that he really enjoyed it. He answered.  
"Major, I not only enjoy it. In fact, it gives me reason to live". She hadn't been able to suppress her laughter.

Dukat's vibrant voice woke her up from the memories:

"Wait here for awhile, I'll be back in a couple of minutes"

He picked up his shirt and pants from the floor where Kira had thrown them and he was gone before she could react. She quivered as she remembered his words. That voice of his - it was so dark and rich. So incredibly intoxicating. It was as if that voice could pull out the emotions that was the Urge. And when he spoke her skin tingled with sheer joy. 

She knew him well enough to know he was up to something, but for some reason it didn't really bother her anymore. She stretched where she lay naked in the bed, and then she fell asleep. The first real sleep she had gotten in a couple of days. It felt terrific to just dose off for a while. The bed was as comfortable as you could ask from a Klingon spacecraft. She woke about an hour later as Dukat came back. He was wearing his Cardassian uniform now, and she didn't really like it. But when he walked over to her and kissed her, she forgot all about it. She welcomed his warm kiss with a slight moan, and let her hand slide up his thigh. The cloth of his pants felt rough beneath her fingertips and the sensation tickled up her arm. He grabbed her and pulled her closer. 

The heatwave of passion drowned them completely. His breath against her lips made the hairs on her neck stand on end. She couldn't resist him. She drove her fingers through his raven hair and his eyes turned darker as the passion grew. She felt the power over him intoxicate her like a drug. But his power over her was just as strong.

"Oh!" she sighed. "Here we go again!"

He couldn't help but smile at her reaction, her spontaneous response to his kiss felt like soothing balm on his bruised feelings. He felt like he had been fighting this Urge for so long that the pain had become a part of him. He had almost forgotten how good it felt to be appreciated. He pulled the top of his uniform off, and threw the stiff, uncomfortable but necessary thing onto the floor. That ugly uniform had saved his life many times. 

He could feel himself rise again, and he pressed her slender, but soft, body to his own. His erection pushed against her stomach with only his pants in the way. He kissed her neck and caressed her back. Firmly over the lower back where he knew Kira had a very erogenous zone. She leaned her head back and exposed the soft, pale skin of her neck to his tongue and lips and he indulged himself in tasting her blushing, smooth skin. He grabbed her naked buttocks and massaged her firm muscles. They filled his hands perfectly and the skin felt like velvet against his hands. She moaned out loud and pulled him closer to her. He could feel her hands struggling with his pants and she rather impatiently helped him tear them off. 

In a matter of seconds she had pushed him down on the hard bed and crawled on top of him. Her full breasts gave him the most wonderful view as she let herself sink down on him. He closed his eyes and groaned. An exquisite feeling was spreading in his groin. 

"Oh Nerys, Oh Nerys!"

He felt himself harden even more inside her wet, soft cavity, as she lifted her slender body and sank down on him again and again. His hand firmly, but gently gripped her nosy breasts and he rolled the nipples between his fingers. As she kept riding him he lifted his upper body from the bed and held her close. They rocked slowly together sitting comfortably on the bed. He needed to kiss her and his lips ached for hers.

Their mouths met in a moan and their tongues started dancing an erotic dance as he held her closer to him. The pace of their rhythmic movements increased and her chest pressed against his. The feeling of her heart beating next to his finally pushed him over the edge. He emptied himself inside her and her muscles clasped around him in spasms when she reached her orgasm. They both fell down on the bed. 

After they just lay there. He held her close, and he felt so satisfied, so completely fulfilled that he couldn't move. 

"I can't believe I feel this way when we are together" Nerys whispered in his ear. "I really used to hate you Dukat." 

"On Earth they have a saying that love and hate are only two sides of a coin. Meaning that those two feelings are one and the same."  
"I can't believe that. All the things you did to the Bajorans during the Occupation? How could I forget? But on the other hand. I feel so good when we make love. I feel so good when you kiss me. I feel content just being with you. Here, now. I don't long for anything."  
"You did some pretty ugly things yourself. - I am not trying to justify myself, he interrupted when she was about to protest."

"Think of it like this, Nerys, he begged her. If you had had the same position I did during the Occupation and the roles were reversed. What would you have done?"

Kira fell silent. And she thought about his question for awhile. 

"Cardassians are a cruel people. I doubt I would have been so cruel"  
"I'll give you that" Dukat admitted. "We are harsh against our enemies. But we are even harsher to ourselves. You know that..."  
"I do. Which is pretty discouraging actually - But I see your point, you weren't more cruel to us than you were to your own had they been criminals or dissidents."  
"Exactly."  
"But I still don't like your people" Kira stated. "I am sorry. "  
"What if you become pregnant?" Dukat asked.  
"Well, we don't have to worry about that just now, I use birth control" 

Dukat sighed and got up. He didn't want to argue with Kira about this, and since she was Bajoran he wasn't going to bring it up. At least not yet.

"What?" she demanded. 

Dukat shrugged away his thoughts and then he avoided the issue by saying.

"While you slept I spoke with the crew. We decided to get some more Dilithium from Melkor 5. Now it is no longer as urgent we get home right away. We can gather some Dilithium, refuel the freighter and we should be back at DS9 in about a month. Tonight we should receive subspace communications from the station as well." 

"All right. Sounds good to me, and while we fly back home we will keep a look out for the returnstream I guess?" Kira said.  
Dukat nodded and continued:  
"We have divided into search parties and are beaming down to the surface in a half hour. I thought you and I could stay the night. We have scanned the planet. There is no sentient life on it. There are animal life-forms, but it is habitable. I thought you and I could use some privacy. What do you say?"

Kira realized the two of them needed to be alone for awhile and a night away from the Bird of Prey and all the other Cardassians definitely had some appeal to it. Kira nodded. 

"Okay, let's go."

Kira and Dukat beamed down to the surface with food and blankets to last them over the night and then some. The other two parties were beamed down to other sites. Kira hadn't noticed, but one of the reasons that they were left alone was that the rest of the crew on the Klingon vessel were still as uncomfortable around them as usual. 

Dukat smiled. He could already feel the Urge setting in again. Kira wasn't aware of it just yet. Maybe because she wasn't Cardassian, he thought. But he was determined not to show her until she felt it too. He wanted her to be the aggressor this time. Not like this morning, when he had kissed her. He wanted to see what would happen if he didn't do anything. Just kept pretending he didn't feel it. That would be fun! Dukat grinned maliciously to himself. He had no intentions of being mean. Just see what would happen if he fought it for awhile. 

At the moment Kira was acting as professional as any Captain could wish for. She scanned the area with one of those Federation scanners. It chirped and beeped and she repeated the information out loud. 

"Approximately 2 standard kilometers away from here, there is a cavity in the ground that seems to be flowing with Dilithium. If we get there... "

Dukat stopped listening. He knew the rest of the crew would find all the Dilithium they needed and just wanted the two of them out of the way for awhile. 

To rest from the strain of feelings that their condition poured over the rest of the crew as well. And all Dukat could think about was Kira's own cavity.... 

Sometimes he felt a bit angry about the blatantly sexual arousal that followed the Urge. He felt it could be less - pressing. He'd like to get to know Kira better, to enjoy talking and such. But in the beginning like this, the Urge was 80 percent sexual drive, and 20 percent mental attraction, friendship and such, but that would even out later, he knew that. He knew they had difficulties ahead of them. His wife that left him when she found out he had a daughter with a Bajoran female was still his wife by Cardassian law. He'd have to divorce her. Divorce was an almost unknown word on Cardassia Prime...

Kira would have some explaining to do. Shakaar would be hurt, angry and even shocked. Not to mention the crew on DS9. How would they react to this? They wouldn't believe their ears. Kira in love with *him* - he former Prefect? The one who tormented the Bajoran prisoners and workers at Terok Nor during the Cardassian Occupation?

Explaining the Urge and what happened to Kira would not be easy. Dukat knew both Sisko and Odo were Kira's close friends and he had often wondered why Kira never once suspected that Odo had more than friendly feelings toward her. Fortunately one positive side effect of the Urge was that he would never have to be jealous. Neither would Kira. The Urge was also one of the few reasons a Cardassian had ever been granted a divorce. 

But right now... Right now he was aroused. And he knew they would both stay that way for about a week before it started to fade away. At least a week he corrected himself and sighed. But he had to smile. He wondered what Kira would say if she knew.

"What *is* this Dukat?" Kira blurted out a bit angrily.  
He grinned toward her. 

//So now it began again, eh? // But he pretended he didn't know *what* she was talking about. 

*What? he asked innocently.  
"Don't give me that face!" she spat and came closer to him.  
"Damn it! I can see your arousal from over here! We can't work if we keep getting distracted like this all the time!"

She walked up even closer and he could feel her hand reaching out for him and a jolt of pure joy shot through his chest. He couldn't explain how incredibly arousing it was to have her be so straight forward.  
She grabbed him in a firm grip and started caressing him outside of his pants. He lifted his hands and leaned them to her shoulders. It felt so good he could hardly stand up straight!

Kira kneeled before him and opened his pants and pulled out his pride and joy. He was big. Hard, firm and smooth all at the same time. He felt her soft, tender hands grip his testicles and she scratched them with her nails. She then leaned forward and took him in her mouth. He was utterly amazed. No Cardassian woman had ever done that to him. 

"Ahhhh, he moaned.

//Oh holy mother! That feels so good // 

Her tongue swizzled around him - soft, swift and warm. The tingling sensation in his genitals became almost unbearable. She licked him up and down long the shaft and sucked all of him into her mouth and he could feel her moistness hug him. Her tongue swirled around the head and he gasped. Then she took all of him in her mouth once again, and sooner than he thought he could feel the preparation of the release. 

"Nerys, my lovely Nerys, you have to quit!" he begged. "I am coming! Don't!" 

She didn't listen to him. Her tongue just kept titillating him, swirling around him and his vision became blurred as he shot out into her mouth in long, wonderful jerks. 

Kira licked it all up and smiled at him. Her eyes were wet and wild. Full of joy and humor - but also with passion and desire. 

"Felt good, eh?" she teased. 

But Dukat didn't smile at her. He just pulled her up, into his arms and held her close. Then he kissed her. The taste of himself inside her mouth was unusual, but not unpleasant. 

"That was the most unselfish thing anyone has ever done for me" he admitted. '

He knew that she knew what this meant. He couldn't do anything about her arousal right away. He was too satisfied. And doing something else in the sands where they were at this very moment wasn't a very good idea. 

"I never thought I would say this. But I love you Dukat. I'd die for you, and suffering for a few hours from a desire that is so wonderful that it hurts - well - I can handle that. I enjoyed knowing I did something for you that felt so good. I could see it in your eyes. Your face was so tense with enjoyment and passion. I don't want to trade it for anything." 

Dukat pulled his pants up and buttoned them. Then he put his arm around Kira and started talking:

"Remember when we went looking for the wreckage after the Ravenok on Ragesh 3?"  
"Yes, we were away for almost a week back then weren't we?" Kira wondered.  
"I loved you back then" he stated and they kept walking in silence. 

* * *

Just as Kira had guessed. Dukat had had feelings for her for a long, long time. Maybe longer than she knew. They kept walking, Dukat in deep thoughts, and Kira yearning for more. She wanted to pull him close and tear him down onto the ground where she wanted him to penetrate her like he had never seen a woman before in his life. She ached inside. It was almost painful - she wanted him to fill the void, to make the pain go away with long hard thrusts inside her. She was breathing hard. He pulled her closer to him, her nipples hardened as if he had caressed them and all she could think of was feeling his lips and tongue licking and kissing them. Normally Kira was the kind of person who would feel degraded by this, who would fight even harder when she felt she was about to be overcome. But this felt so good. It was so wonderful, and all she wanted was to have sex with Dukat. Again, and again, and again. 

"How long will this last?" she asked weakly.

Dukat didn't even try to avoid the question.

"At least a week, probably more. Most people "suffer" from the Urge for a month or even more."  
"But I can't work, I can't think - I can't do anything."  
"I know. It is pretty aggravating isn't it?" Dukat responded.  
"How can Cardassians be such a proud people and warrior-like when they have to deal with this kind of thing?" Kira protested.  
"Mostly we aren't affected this strongly Nerys. And most men and women who join the military have bonded. I hadn't before. Which is pretty uncommon for a Cardassian male my age. We usually go through the Urge much the same way humans go through adolescence."

Kira laughed tiredly.  
"And of course you had to fall in love with the Bajoran woman who really used to hate you. Oh well - I can't complain. Apart from the fact that I am utterly filled with passion, completely foggy with desire, totally occupied with erotic thoughts and completely aching for sex.. I have never been so happy in my life. I mean that."

She stopped and grabbed a hold of his arms and made him look into her eyes. Her gaze locked onto Dukat's eyes. He felt her words affect him. Relief, passion, love and desire struggled inside of him. They were approaching the place they had chosen from the Bird of Prey. It was a cave, not very beautiful or comfortable, but they had brought what they would need. 

"Are you hungry, Nerys?" he asked. 

She looked up at him with her eyes burning, and he could have kicked himself. 

// Stupid question! //

She didn't want food at this moment. He looked at her, felt his own passion slowly awakening. The cycles were short. Less than an hour. This probably meant that their Urge would last even longer. He didn't want to tell Kira about this. She was troubled enough as it was. They had been badly affected. But he knew they would be. The longer the couple fought the Urge, the stronger it got. Considering how hard they had fought it. Dukat was not surprised. 

"Are you?" she asked.

He shook his head and pulled out the air mattress they had replicated before beaming down to the surface. He had taken great precautions to make this as perfect as it could be on this planet.

"Let's make ourselves comfortable first" he said. 

* * *

Those hypnotizing eyes looked straight into Kira's and she felt the seductive lure suck her in. This time she didn't feel intimidated by his mesmerizing gaze. She felt so drawn to him she couldn't help but reach out and touch his face. His ridged features felt warm against the palm of her hand. She caressed him and he leaned his head so he could kiss her palm. His warm lips sent a surge of desire through her body. But the kiss was tender and loving. She wanted him so much. 

She was amazed at the Cardassian physiology. How could they have sex so many times in one day? It was incredible! But soon she forgot the biological aspects of the Urge and just enjoyed the effects it had on herself and the male she was with. 

Dukat felt the desire grab a hold of him again. He rose from the ground. This wasn't going to allow him to take care of Nerys the way he had planned on their way over here. 

"Come!" he said and held out his hand to Kira. With his help she rose to her feet as well, and together they helped preparing their camp for the night.

He had a small compressor that filled the mattress with air in a matter of seconds. They spread the blankets and then Dukat grabbed Kira and lifted her up in his arms. She was warm and vivacious in his arms. She smelled good despite the long walk in the warm sun that they had just finished. Her lips were moist and welcoming and he wanted to make her feel just as good as he did earlier. He lay her down on the mattress and her body made it sink slightly. It rocked softly beneath them, almost like the waterbeds that were so popular on Bajor. He lay down on top of her and just enjoyed the feeling of her female, soft body against his male, edgy body. He smiled. 

"What?" she whispered silently.  
"I was just thinking how happy you should be I am not wearing my military uniform right now."

Kira laughed slightly back at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers played with his long, raven-black hair which fell into his eyes. Right now, his desire wasn't so overwhelming as it was to her. Maybe because he had been relieved so thoroughly by Nerys earlier, he thought, but felt himself stiffen by the mere thought of her moist lips around his manhood.

She probably felt him harden against her, because she writhed underneath him and pulled her legs up so he would come closer to her pounding heat. He rubbed himself tighter against her. His erection grew and she moaned. He started kissing her neck and down on the chest. He pulled down her shirt and breathed her softly on the shoulder. She got goose-bumps and sighed softly underneath him. Slowly he began moving, making intercourse movements with their clothes on. She started writhing more under him. She let her hands slide from his shoulder down to his butt. She squeezed his buttocks and pressed him firmer against her. It felt like they were meant to be together. They kept touching each other, kissing, licking and caressing every part they could reach and that way arousing each other more and more by each minute that passed 

"Please Dukat, you are driving me crazy" she pleaded. She started pulling his clothes. Pushed him away from her to reach the buttons of his pants. 

"I want to feel your naked skin against mine" she moaned. "I want you inside me, oh Dukat, now - please!" 

But he pulled away from her. It took a lot of self-control, but he managed to do it. Then he started taking her clothes off. Slowly and teasingly. Even though he wanted to tear them off in a split second, he managed to pull them off of her ever so slowly and carefully. She whimpered softly under his hands and the soft sound nearly drove him mad. 

He couldn't stop himself from opening his pants and grabbing himself for a short moment. He needed her, now, but he wasn't about to take her. Not yet anyway. He was determined to return the favor. So he pulled her panties off, and let his hands slide softly up her legs, on the insides of her thighs. He let his nails scratch her ever so slightly and she shivered underneath his caressing hands. 

He placed long, juicy kisses on the insides of her thighs and she was breathing heavier. Shallow, quick breaths that let him know how much she enjoyed the way he treated her. 

Suddenly he felt Kira's soft hands grab him lightly, her nails scratching the insides of his thighs. His erection grew harder and he felt how easily he could lose the determination to let her enjoy this moment all by herself.

He clenched his jaw and focused on Kira. Pushing away the sensations that her small hands provoked in him. But it was almost impossible. 

"Let me focus on you for a while Nerys" he said softly and pushed her hand away. "The way you are caressing me I'll lose all good intentions in a second."

She smiled at him, and leaned back on the mattress. Her content smile shot through him like a spear. It was wonderful to see her so aroused and know that he was the reason for her passionate feelings. No matter how unwillingly she had been overcome by the Urge. He knew that now she loved him. Now and forever. There was nothing false in these feelings. 

He kept carressing her. He pulled aside the thin skin-folds around her moist sex. He leaned down and licked her softly around the opening and she shivered and sighed. His licks began softly, teasing her, avoiding the spot he knew she really wanted him to touch. Then his licks became faster and firmer. She stopped breathing, kept holding her breath and turned completely still and silent underneath him. He knew she was coming closer. 

He pressed his finger inside her. Softly he moved and then he let his tongue swiftly, carefully touch the small center of her passion. She moaned and he moved his finger a little faster. Then he kept licking a little firmer, around and on top of her little button. He could feel her fingers clasp around his head and pull his hair so hard it almost hurt.

Then he felt the convulsions begin deep inside of her. Her muscles grabbed his fingers tightly and she had an orgasm that kept on going for several seconds. He pulled his finger out and leaned over her and pressed himself inside. 

She was wet, and he sank all the way in one swift move, and she tied her legs around him. Squeezed him deeper inside and less than a minute later he felt her muscles spasm around him again, but he kept going, it felt so good. He did all he could to prolong the experience and she muttered in his ear. 

"Oh, holy Prophets, I never knew it could be this good, oh!" 

And her words just pressed him even more. He felt how close he was but he withheld the sensation as best he could, but when Kira came for the third time the spasms deep inside her provoked him to yield as well and they came together in a wonderful climax. 

The pleasure felt like a black hole where he floated in sheer ecstasy for a long while. A few moments later he fell on top of her and he could feel her relax underneath him. They lay still for awhile enjoying the aftermath of their passion. 

Dukat lifted his hand and pushed away the locks of hair that fell into Kira's eyes. His eyes looked into hers as he kept mumbling.

"I love you Nerys, I love you."

His lips left a trail of soft kisses in her face and she felt the goose-bumps from the moistness on her cheek as the wind blew in through the cave opening. She looked at him. Lifted her hand and let her fingers follow the ridges around his eyes. They weren't as hard as she'd imagined. 

Instead of hatred, she felt fascination with the way he was so different from her. And he was handsome. She loved him back, and she pulled his head down and whispered the words softly into his ear. The Urge was a beast that was satiated for a short while, but the love was still there. It wouldn't lessen. It wouldn't go away and Kira felt happy that she was blessed with the experience of it after all. 

They got up and went outside. There was water on the planet and little vegetation, but they both walked into the well and washed themselves. A few minutes later they went back to the cave.

Dukat smiled at Kira:

"So, now are you hungry?"

"Starving!"

And they both laughed out loud. 

His laugher dark and rich and hers like the soft sound of trickling water in the spring. 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 1996  
> My very first fanfiction, written before I knew such a thing existed. Over 20 years old. 
> 
> Author's Note: This story is my first attempt to write fanfiction and I enjoyed it immensely. If it has any real literary value is up to you as a reader to decide. It takes place sometime close after "Return To Grace" If you do read it - tell me about it - I would love to know what you think! And feel free to send me any comments you might have:
> 
> Disclaimer: As usual, all characters in this story are the property of Paramount Pictures and Viacom. I haven't stolen them I have only borrowed them as a vehicle to explore my own ideas for the characters. The plot itself however is my own (c) -96


End file.
